Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 GMC Acadia owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The traction control turns on and then the shifts don't work and I can't drive since there is no speed also the rpm and the gas the speed and the battery gages start flickering up and down then I turn off the truck and it continues to work fine but after 40 miles or so it does it all again
When travelling home on the highway after school shopping with my two children my vehicle suddenly reduced power, became uncontrollable and wouldn't allow me to get out of the way of the rapidly approaching vehicles behind me in time. I was able to get to the shoulder, after the reduced engine alert appeared. Stabiltrak was also disabled and one more feature I cannot remember. I had to shut my vehicle down and sit with two children in the car waiting for the car to somehow right itself. After 10 minutes I tried turning it on and the errors were gone and the car drove again, except rough. I took it to the local auto store and the diagnosed it with the code reader as tac. Throttle body. The person at the counter said they see this all the time with this vehicle. In fact, it should be a recall since it's so common and a clear flaw in the design. …
On 4 separate occasions within a 3 week period the vehicle would accelerate while driving without driver prompts or control (rpms revved from 2000 to over 6000 and speed would increase from 50 MPH to over 85 MPH with accelerator pegged to the floor.) the only way to correct this was to put the vehicle in neutral, coast to the side of the road, stop the vehicle and turn off the engine for 10-15 minutes, then restart it and it would run normally for short periods of time. If I drove the vehicle for more than 30 minutes at a time it would react this way every time and nearly caused me to hit 2 vehicles on the interstate. On one occasion I had to impact a guardrail to slow the vehicle down. I took the vehicle to a certified GMC dealership who stated on both occasions they could not repeat the problem after driving it for 5-10 minutes or less than 15 miles. …
Slowed my vehicle approaching a drive thru. I slowly began to accelerate, gas pedal went to the floor. My left foot was dangling. Vehicle's rpms and engine was roaring at maximum speed. I then placed both feet on my brakes to no avail! Knew I was going to crash with no way to stop! I braced my self for the impact. My gas pedal stuck and my anti lock brakes failed. The vehicle I hit was a truck with its tail gate down. The impact pushed up his tail gate. My hood, fenders, radiator and fan belt were crushed. My vehicles bumper was not involved or damaged. Over $6,000.00 in damages to my vehicle and the sensors failed to register the accident, the gas pedal or the brake problem! After contacting GM corporate, they denied my claim! It was 8:45 a.m on a clear day. I am now frightened to drive my vehicle near schools or crowded places. …
While driving the vehicle at a normal speed (55) on a highway, a dinging sound comes on and the car goes into reduced power mode, losing speed. The stabilitrak and the traction control warning comes on. This makes it difficult to cross traffic at intersections as the car will barely accelerate. There is no warning that this is going to happen. Also, the cars behind you do not know why you are slowing down. Then when you turn the car off and restart it, the lights go off and the car drives fine. After three trips to the GMC dealer, the throttle body was determined to be the problem. GMC has issued special circumstances warranty on the 2007 & the 2009 but not the 2008. I do not feel that the warranty is sufficient. I do not understand why there is not a recall because after searching the forums, I have found that there are numerous complaints with this happening. …
When I accelerate and get to 40 MPH the car begins to shake randomly, intermittently. Then the service engine light came on, then the traction control shut off and the light to service traction control came on then the car drop the speed from 60 MPH to 10-20 MPH! When I tried to accelerate it did nothing ! The speed wouldn't increase at all then it started running fine and then a few miles down the road it did the same thing, dropped speed from 60 to 10-20 MPH! I pulled over and shut the car off and when I restarted it the same lights were on and when I tried pulling away it would only go up to 10-20 MPH for a few miles then it got up to 60 MPH for a few miles just to drop again! I had my 11 month old grandson in the car that was dangerous! I was on townline road and manito blacktop that are very high traffic
Takata recall it keeps shutting completely down in the middle of highway and this affects everything steering, complete loss of power to vehicle. No codes to indicate something is wrong !!!! Extremely dangerous this has continued to occur even after parts have been replaced brand new. More than 5 times already. This will most certainly lead to death. I have 3 children with me at all times. That's 4 lives that could be lost because of this problem!!!! . We have been extremely lucky because it has shift down in the middle of the night and bridges where there is nowhere to get on the side but remain in the lanes where traffic is 70 MPH and up!!!! This needs to be recalled immediately!!!!
There is a recall on the convertrr post that causes the engine to seize up and pull to go into the engine.. When started nothing comes out of the exhaust pipes as they are clogged making it dangerous to operate.. The recall ignoramus this year, make and model for the same problem however after contacting GMC repeatedly they say that it doesn't include this exact VIN..I have already had the engine replaced once due to this problem and ther dealer failed to diagnose it properly and acknowledge that it had the same problem as the recall in other vehicles ofthe same make and model... The vehicle sizes up at any rate of speed and the exhaust is clogged making the vehicle dangerous to operate
My family and I were driving out of town and then started to feel the car jerk at times and then out of no were it said stability traction control off and reduced power of engine and then engine started to make a terrible noise and shaking like it was going to give out. I could barely pull over. I have taken it several times in to get checked for the stability and they can never find anything wrong and they say its one thing and all I seem to do is pay for something that doesn't need to be fixed. This same issue has happened 3 times since then.
Transmission problem I am being told...no warning signs! Stopped at a red light and went to accelerate and Acadia would not go faster than 25 MPH! Now I am being told I need a new transmission at 95000 miles GMC is a joke! Will never own another one!
Acceleration complaints in other Acadia years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2008 GMC Acadia?
NHTSA has 36 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2008 GMC Acadia, 4% of the model year's 854 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2008 GMC Acadia acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2008 GMC Acadia, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 GMC Acadia acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 84,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.